Within the past two decades, the fast fashion industry has taken off; it has, seemingly, become the new norm. It has provided a means for the common consumer to purchase fashionable clothing, perhaps designed to match that of a higher end brand, at the luxury of low prices and easy accessibility. Furthermore, with the rise of social media, fast fashion brands, from H&M and Nasty Gal to Urban Outfitters and Topshop, have flourished. As A-list celebrities and YouTube influencers document their lives on Instagram and Snapchat wearing a new set of clothes every day, many companies feed off the social pressure to keep up with the latest trends by producing hundreds of new styles each week. However, the lure of the business allows us to overlook the corruption right under our noses.

The industry places emphasis on mass production, minimizing cost, and getting products out on the market as quickly as possible. These benefits, though, often come with the use of outsourced and underpaid labor overseas in countries like China and India. Children and adults alike are forced to work in unsafe conditions and face the health risks entailed by factory accidents and the violation of labor laws. Furthermore, fast fashion takes an enormous toll on the environment. Besides the contribution of toxic greenhouse gases from factories to the atmosphere, the industry encourages clothing disposability since it is designed for the purpose of staying up to date with fads rather than long term use. The focus on quantity over quality makes for items that tend to break down with only a few uses, after which the owner will likely decide to throw them out. These conditions, coupled with notable scandals (such as the abuse of female laborers in Gap factories and the slave-like manner in which Zara has been accused of forcing migrants to work in Brazil), raise the question of how we can take a stance against such unethical practices.

It can be as simple as refraining from purchasing clothing from retailers that are known to permit unfair policies; subtracting from a company’s profit is a symbolic means of protest. Instead, you may choose to buy clothes second hand, which is both a cheap and environmentally-friendly option. You could also opt to shop locally, which gives back to your own community and economy. Though small in nature, turning to these alternatives collectively has the potential to cause a company to alter its preexisting practices or even to run a criminal fast fashion brand out of business altogether.